‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ Review: Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in an Exhaustingly Cutesy Kid Flick

Plenty of British children’s stories have managed to catch on with American audiences via their cinematic adaptations, from Mary Poppins to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Paddington . The latest entry to cross the pond is unlikely to reap similar success despite the presence of Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in leading roles and a supporting cast featuring some of England’s finest thespians. Adapted from Enid Blyton’s 1943 novel, which was part of a three-book series, The Magic Faraway Tree proves so relentlessly twee and sugary that all but the youngest viewers will find themselves at risk of a diabetic coma. Related Stories Movies 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Aims to Swing Past 'Insidious' Sequel for Fourth Box Office Win Movies Danny Boyle's Rupert Murdoch Movie 'Ink' Sets December Theatrical Release From Netflix

Foy and Garfield play Polly and Tim, a married couple who decide to decamp from their London home when Polly resigns from her job at a manufacturing company after said company installs spying technology in the smart refrigerator — voiced by Judi Dench , of all people — that she’s invented. So they take off with their kids to the rural countryside, renting a dilapidated barn and creating a tomato farm to fulfill Tim’s dream of marketing his homemade pasta sauce. The Magic Faraway Tree The Bottom Line Too imaginative for its own good. Release date : Friday, August 21 Cast : Claire Foy, Andrew Garfield, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Billie Gadsdon, Phoenix Laroche, Dustin Demri-Burns, Jessica Gunning, Hiran Abeysekera, Mark Heap, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Oliver Chris, Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Simon Russell Beale, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson Director : Ben Gregor Screenwriter: Simon Farnaby Rated PG, 1 hour 50 minutes

The decision doesn’t sit well with their three children: smartphone-obsessed Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), who is horrified to discover that their new home doesn’t include electricity and running water, let alone Wi-Fi; and younger siblings Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and mostly silent Fran (Billie Gadsdon). “I don’t understand, have we gone back in time?” Joe plaintively asks.

Their feelings change when Fran has an encounter with Silky (Nicola Coughlan of Bridgerton ), an exuberant fairy, who invites her to join her for tea at the Magic Faraway Tree. There, a newly verbal Fran meets a variety of bizarre characters including the aptly named Moonface (Nonso Anozie); the Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), who’s clad in kitchen paraphernalia; Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning of Baby Reindeer ), who, yes, does a lot of scrubbing; and Mr. Whatzisname (Oliver Chris), who, you guessed it, has memory issues.

Not so magical complications ensue, with the overstuffed proceedings eventually involving such other fantastical characters as the Birthday Elves, who offer each of the children one wish (Joe asks to be turned into his favorite Minecraft character, which is presumably an update from the original story); Mr.